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Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales
What is that, trailing your footsteps, breathing softly down your neck?
Rediscover the magic and wonder of the original Grimm Tales, retold by master-storyteller Philip Pullman. In this stage version by Philip Wilson, you’ll meet the familiar characters – Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel – and some unexpected ones too, such as Hans-My-Hedgehog, the Goose Girl at the Spring and the remarkable Thousandfurs.
Full of deliciously dark twists and turns, the tales come to life in all their glittering, macabre brilliance – a delight for children and adults alike.
These Grimm Tales were first performed as immersive storytelling experiences underneath Shoreditch Town Hall, London, in 2014, and Bargehouse on the South Bank in 2015. They also offer plentiful opportunities for youth theatres, schools and amateur companies looking for a vivid new version of the classic fairytales.
Rediscover the magic and wonder of the original Grimm Tales, retold by master-storyteller Philip Pullman. In this stage version by Philip Wilson, you’ll meet the familiar characters – Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel – and some unexpected ones too, such as Hans-My-Hedgehog, the Goose Girl at the Spring and the remarkable Thousandfurs.
Full of deliciously dark twists and turns, the tales come to life in all their glittering, macabre brilliance – a delight for children and adults alike.
These Grimm Tales were first performed as immersive storytelling experiences underneath Shoreditch Town Hall, London, in 2014, and Bargehouse on the South Bank in 2015. They also offer plentiful opportunities for youth theatres, schools and amateur companies looking for a vivid new version of the classic fairytales.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2016
48 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
Philip Pullman
259 books25.9k followersSir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, The Times named Pullman one of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945". In a 2004 BBC poll, he was named the eleventh most influential person in British culture. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to literature.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 6, 2017
Really loved this! Some stories were given really intriguing twists and often funny endings. I don’t recommend reading them all in a short period of time though, as they all blur and it’s easy to get muddled.
December 10, 2020
Aunque el libro está escrito en Inglés, aquí van mis notas en español. Yo había leído uno que otro cuento (Caperucita Roja, Hansel y Gretel, La Cenicienta, Rumpelstilskin, por ejemplo) cuando niño, en español la mayoría, pero no había leído un compendio de cuentos de los hermanos Grimm, escrito por Philip Pullman. Es posible que haya visto películas o adaptaciones hechas desde el cine o desde otros autores. Este libro de Philip Pullman trae 53 cuentos que fueron publicados inicialmente en 1812. Hubo segunda y más ediciones, y el contenido de los cuentos fue cambiando edición tras edición.
Desde finales del siglo XVII numerosos autores alemanes estuvieron coleccionando las historias que circulaban dentro de los territorios alemanes: reinos, principados, ducados, etc., etc. que conformaron lo que quedó del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico. Reunir y publicar cuentos era un trabajo común que sirvieron a diferentes disciplinas: Freudianos, Jungianos, Cristianos, Marxistas, estructuralistas, post-estructuralistas, feministas, post-modernistas.
Me parece interesante el rol jugado por los autores, pero igualmente importante el de los relatores de historias. Algunos de ellos cuentan varios cuentos (Dorothea Viehman), unas son escritas, pero otras son verbales, unos son autores individuales (anónimos, que pasaron por algún hospital, o con nombre propio), otros son familias.
Figuras convencionales, relatos rápidos y cortos, imaginería y descripción. No son textos o tratados, limpios, son los cuentos de Wilhelm y Jacob Grimm. Son su Kinder-und Hausmarchen, tal como fueron contados. Me parece interesante que “los cuentos” no fueron definidos en la primera edición, sino que fueron aumentando en diferentes ediciones. Es el caso de The Moon, incluido en la séptima y última edición, en 1857.
Me gustó mucho que al final de cada cuento hay una mención de quiénes contaron el cuento y cómo los mismos textos o textos parecidos han sido usados en otros países y culturas, con otros títulos. Aparecen también comentarios específicos y provocativos del mismo Philip Pullman. Es importante la relación entre el cuento y la sabiduría popular. Es importante conocer esta para entender algunos cuentos o sus nombres. Importante como algunos cuentos ilustran personajes de escritos de Bettelheim o de Jung, o de películas de Walt Disney.
Son numerosos los cuentos y las historias, tanto las conocidas como las nuevas, que me han encantado. Entre estas últimas me gustaron mucho :
• The Fisherman and His Wife. Ella, la esposa quiere ser Dios. Luego de todas las transformaciones en mejor y mejor, pero que no le satisfacen, quiere ser Dios. Al final el genio del cuento la devuelve al chiquero de cocina que tenía al inicio, y ahí… ella es Dios!
• Otro bellísimo es como el Brave Little Tailor exagera uno de sus logros (matar siete moscas de un manotón) y va convenciendo a todo el mundo de sus saberes y habilidades, hasta lograr el reconocimiento general.
• Me gustó mucho The Two Travelling Companions que presenta la marcha conjunta de un sastre (gozando el presente, generoso y alegre) y un zapatero (que piensa en estructurar bien el futuro, es egoísta y muy envidioso). Toca leer los maravillosos detalles de su viaje. Este cuento apareció en la colección Grimm, en su sexta edición en 1843.
• Hacia el final del libro encontré The Goose Girl at the Spring, que es extraordinario. El escritor narra el cuento, pero es solo hacia el final del mismo, que el lector se da cuenta que el narrador está dentro de la historia, y precisamente se le olvida la parte final, que de alguna manera tiene que ser completada por el lector. Este es un cuento de origen Austríaco, de 1833.
Es importante la estructura de la narrativa del cuento, definiendo su curso y sus palabras, tocando eventos o conceptos importantes, esto es de un reconocimiento grande. P147
Me pareció interesante comparar los roles de los hombres: reyes (y castillos), príncipes (y sus caballos), condes, caballeros, lords, sastres, zapateros, cazadores, gigantes, ladrones, monstruos, burros, mensajero real, molinero, torcedor de pinos, rompedor de rocas, con los de las mujeres: brujas, princesas, mujer de pelo blanco, ayudante de bruja, bestias, madres, hijas, mujeres sabias, rezanderas, nixies (que siempre son un lío cuando aparecen desde un lago), como jugando un rol más relacionado con la magia definida por las conexiones arquetípicas espirituales. El rol de los hombres es más concreto y muy relacionado con las jerarquías definidas por el poder.
Interesante ver cómo algunas historias tienen parecidos con las muy antiguas. Es el caso de Lazy Heinz , de una fuente escrita de 1601 (Plenty of Proverbs) y que es una historia parecida a otra contada por Esopo hacia 650 a.C. Me pareció curioso encontrar un cuento como el de Strong Hans que parece fue construido en diferentes etapas, con conexiones mal hechas y con algunos olvidos dentro del texto. Fue contada a los hermanos Grimm y tiene muchos cuentos parecidos en diferentes culturas.
Para seguir bien la lectura de este libro me parece importante:
• Leer la biografía de los hermanos Grimm
• Conocer cuentos Británicos, que parecen como muy especiales de una rica cultura.
• Leer/ver Shakespeare, tal como está recomendado por Pullman.
• Leer Italo Calvino
• Leer Geoffrey Chaucer
• Folk Tales of Britain
• Escuchar Dvorak: Song to the moon, de la opera Rusalka.
Desde finales del siglo XVII numerosos autores alemanes estuvieron coleccionando las historias que circulaban dentro de los territorios alemanes: reinos, principados, ducados, etc., etc. que conformaron lo que quedó del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico. Reunir y publicar cuentos era un trabajo común que sirvieron a diferentes disciplinas: Freudianos, Jungianos, Cristianos, Marxistas, estructuralistas, post-estructuralistas, feministas, post-modernistas.
Me parece interesante el rol jugado por los autores, pero igualmente importante el de los relatores de historias. Algunos de ellos cuentan varios cuentos (Dorothea Viehman), unas son escritas, pero otras son verbales, unos son autores individuales (anónimos, que pasaron por algún hospital, o con nombre propio), otros son familias.
Figuras convencionales, relatos rápidos y cortos, imaginería y descripción. No son textos o tratados, limpios, son los cuentos de Wilhelm y Jacob Grimm. Son su Kinder-und Hausmarchen, tal como fueron contados. Me parece interesante que “los cuentos” no fueron definidos en la primera edición, sino que fueron aumentando en diferentes ediciones. Es el caso de The Moon, incluido en la séptima y última edición, en 1857.
Me gustó mucho que al final de cada cuento hay una mención de quiénes contaron el cuento y cómo los mismos textos o textos parecidos han sido usados en otros países y culturas, con otros títulos. Aparecen también comentarios específicos y provocativos del mismo Philip Pullman. Es importante la relación entre el cuento y la sabiduría popular. Es importante conocer esta para entender algunos cuentos o sus nombres. Importante como algunos cuentos ilustran personajes de escritos de Bettelheim o de Jung, o de películas de Walt Disney.
Son numerosos los cuentos y las historias, tanto las conocidas como las nuevas, que me han encantado. Entre estas últimas me gustaron mucho :
• The Fisherman and His Wife. Ella, la esposa quiere ser Dios. Luego de todas las transformaciones en mejor y mejor, pero que no le satisfacen, quiere ser Dios. Al final el genio del cuento la devuelve al chiquero de cocina que tenía al inicio, y ahí… ella es Dios!
• Otro bellísimo es como el Brave Little Tailor exagera uno de sus logros (matar siete moscas de un manotón) y va convenciendo a todo el mundo de sus saberes y habilidades, hasta lograr el reconocimiento general.
• Me gustó mucho The Two Travelling Companions que presenta la marcha conjunta de un sastre (gozando el presente, generoso y alegre) y un zapatero (que piensa en estructurar bien el futuro, es egoísta y muy envidioso). Toca leer los maravillosos detalles de su viaje. Este cuento apareció en la colección Grimm, en su sexta edición en 1843.
• Hacia el final del libro encontré The Goose Girl at the Spring, que es extraordinario. El escritor narra el cuento, pero es solo hacia el final del mismo, que el lector se da cuenta que el narrador está dentro de la historia, y precisamente se le olvida la parte final, que de alguna manera tiene que ser completada por el lector. Este es un cuento de origen Austríaco, de 1833.
Es importante la estructura de la narrativa del cuento, definiendo su curso y sus palabras, tocando eventos o conceptos importantes, esto es de un reconocimiento grande. P147
Me pareció interesante comparar los roles de los hombres: reyes (y castillos), príncipes (y sus caballos), condes, caballeros, lords, sastres, zapateros, cazadores, gigantes, ladrones, monstruos, burros, mensajero real, molinero, torcedor de pinos, rompedor de rocas, con los de las mujeres: brujas, princesas, mujer de pelo blanco, ayudante de bruja, bestias, madres, hijas, mujeres sabias, rezanderas, nixies (que siempre son un lío cuando aparecen desde un lago), como jugando un rol más relacionado con la magia definida por las conexiones arquetípicas espirituales. El rol de los hombres es más concreto y muy relacionado con las jerarquías definidas por el poder.
Interesante ver cómo algunas historias tienen parecidos con las muy antiguas. Es el caso de Lazy Heinz , de una fuente escrita de 1601 (Plenty of Proverbs) y que es una historia parecida a otra contada por Esopo hacia 650 a.C. Me pareció curioso encontrar un cuento como el de Strong Hans que parece fue construido en diferentes etapas, con conexiones mal hechas y con algunos olvidos dentro del texto. Fue contada a los hermanos Grimm y tiene muchos cuentos parecidos en diferentes culturas.
Para seguir bien la lectura de este libro me parece importante:
• Leer la biografía de los hermanos Grimm
• Conocer cuentos Británicos, que parecen como muy especiales de una rica cultura.
• Leer/ver Shakespeare, tal como está recomendado por Pullman.
• Leer Italo Calvino
• Leer Geoffrey Chaucer
• Folk Tales of Britain
• Escuchar Dvorak: Song to the moon, de la opera Rusalka.
November 25, 2018
A little dry for my taste.
April 10, 2023
When reading classic fairytales these days, it’s hard to envision a world where they were once relevant - in both the inherent misogyny and cruelty. But then, I look at the headlines of stabbings and shootings and see that maybe our world hasn’t come as far as we’d like to think. Where women’s rights have improved greatly over the last half-century, Disney Princesses still command the cinema and the market place stealing young girls’ hearts and filling their heads with dreams of becoming tulle-covered, tiara-wearing dauphinesses, and this while rates of girl brides continue to astound - according to the UN, 1 in 5 girls around the world is married before the age of 18.
I’m not sure what I expected from the book of Grimm fairytale adaptations for stage, themselves and adaptation from Philip Pullman’s adaptations of Grimm Fairytales, that I picked up at the Drama Book Shop in New York, only that I was looking for short plays to potentially do in my own class.
While there is nothing wrong with Wilson’s short plays, two grouped series of five and seven classic fairytales, the likes of: Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and other less well-known stories like, Thousandfurs, Donkey Cabbage, and Faithful Johannes, there isn’t a whole lot to commend them either. With straightforward split dialogue, minimal stage directions, and simple suggestions for costume, setting, and props, there is a lot of room for personal interpretation, which would be fine for a newer work, but begs the question why adapt these stories at all when play versions of them already exist, if the playwright isn’t going to bring more of themselves into the adaptations? The plays, as they are can be fluidly interpreted, but I fear the audience’s boredom by the last third of each set - unless some very dynamic and different interpretations are undertaken, there is a certain feeling of continuity to them.
With fairytales being so classically a medium of oral storytelling, a play version, especially in today’s politically-minded milieu, should be more grotesque, more appallingly violent and absurd, to offset the disconnect between the mores of the past and those of the present and make the connections all the more visceral.
Fairytales and fables have the classic role of entertaining while clarifying and pushing social and moral values. With a value system that seems so dated throughout these plays, one either has to look at them as purely historical documents, or one has to look to adapt them in order to provoke the ideas and feelings intended by the originals, engaging their audience in more than spectacle.
I’m not sure what I expected from the book of Grimm fairytale adaptations for stage, themselves and adaptation from Philip Pullman’s adaptations of Grimm Fairytales, that I picked up at the Drama Book Shop in New York, only that I was looking for short plays to potentially do in my own class.
While there is nothing wrong with Wilson’s short plays, two grouped series of five and seven classic fairytales, the likes of: Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and other less well-known stories like, Thousandfurs, Donkey Cabbage, and Faithful Johannes, there isn’t a whole lot to commend them either. With straightforward split dialogue, minimal stage directions, and simple suggestions for costume, setting, and props, there is a lot of room for personal interpretation, which would be fine for a newer work, but begs the question why adapt these stories at all when play versions of them already exist, if the playwright isn’t going to bring more of themselves into the adaptations? The plays, as they are can be fluidly interpreted, but I fear the audience’s boredom by the last third of each set - unless some very dynamic and different interpretations are undertaken, there is a certain feeling of continuity to them.
With fairytales being so classically a medium of oral storytelling, a play version, especially in today’s politically-minded milieu, should be more grotesque, more appallingly violent and absurd, to offset the disconnect between the mores of the past and those of the present and make the connections all the more visceral.
Fairytales and fables have the classic role of entertaining while clarifying and pushing social and moral values. With a value system that seems so dated throughout these plays, one either has to look at them as purely historical documents, or one has to look to adapt them in order to provoke the ideas and feelings intended by the originals, engaging their audience in more than spectacle.
May 5, 2023
A number of people have been disappointed with this book, because they start out expecting the normal Pullman fantasy. However, living as I do, on an island with a great tradition of folk tale story telling, I was most interested in his introduction about the writing of folk stories, and how they are formed. This was a fascinating insight into the dos and don'ts of story telling in this genre.
As others have said, he doesn't change much in the stories, the vast majority of which I had previously read, mostly as a child, and often in Andrew Lang's versions.
Matthew Rhodes, after saying he was disappointed that Pullman did not do more with the stories says, "The tale ... that features Death getting stuck up a tree for seven years really made me laugh because the ridiculous circumstances are told in such a casual manner. Also, 'Hans-My -Hedgehog' deserves praise for being a Grimm Tale which features a half-man/half-hedgehog that plays bagpipes up a tree for several years whilst looking after some pigs as its main character. "
These are the tales that show Pullman's dexterity and wit, concise, without massive characterisation, but told sparely and with an eye for a moral.
Pullman gives a masterclass in the telling of this type of folk story using 50 examples of the genre.
As others have said, he doesn't change much in the stories, the vast majority of which I had previously read, mostly as a child, and often in Andrew Lang's versions.
Matthew Rhodes, after saying he was disappointed that Pullman did not do more with the stories says, "The tale ... that features Death getting stuck up a tree for seven years really made me laugh because the ridiculous circumstances are told in such a casual manner. Also, 'Hans-My -Hedgehog' deserves praise for being a Grimm Tale which features a half-man/half-hedgehog that plays bagpipes up a tree for several years whilst looking after some pigs as its main character. "
These are the tales that show Pullman's dexterity and wit, concise, without massive characterisation, but told sparely and with an eye for a moral.
Pullman gives a masterclass in the telling of this type of folk story using 50 examples of the genre.
February 18, 2022
I have yet to read the full collection of original Grimm Tales, but was recommended this set by a friend, so I am unsure how much Pullman altered the tales.
One thing is for sure, they are a bizarre collection of dark and gruesome tales, many of which are disjointed and make little sense.
The Grimms certainly had a dislike of stepmothers, and the number of parents who would willingly give up their children is disturbing. Men in general play a weak role in these tales - unless they are the handsome prince come to save the day - and I do wonder whether this is a reflection of their own lives.
The heroines are 'obviously' the most beautiful things the princes have ever laid eyes on, and invariably everyone 'lives long and happy lives until they are dead'.
Why these tales are badged as fairy tales for children is beyond me. They are rife with abuse, cruelty, torture, cannibalism, deception, abandonment, and betrayal. These are folk tales with dire lessons hidden amongst the horror of the tale itself.
I was told a long time ago that the original Grimm tales are very dark, and now I believe them! 🖤📚
One thing is for sure, they are a bizarre collection of dark and gruesome tales, many of which are disjointed and make little sense.
The Grimms certainly had a dislike of stepmothers, and the number of parents who would willingly give up their children is disturbing. Men in general play a weak role in these tales - unless they are the handsome prince come to save the day - and I do wonder whether this is a reflection of their own lives.
The heroines are 'obviously' the most beautiful things the princes have ever laid eyes on, and invariably everyone 'lives long and happy lives until they are dead'.
Why these tales are badged as fairy tales for children is beyond me. They are rife with abuse, cruelty, torture, cannibalism, deception, abandonment, and betrayal. These are folk tales with dire lessons hidden amongst the horror of the tale itself.
I was told a long time ago that the original Grimm tales are very dark, and now I believe them! 🖤📚
December 29, 2018
Na początek chciałabym zaznaczyć - nie dałam rady doczytać do końca. Ogólnie opowiadania są bardzo ciekawe, ale po którymś z kolei stają się schematyczne i nudnawe. Warto jednak poznać choć kilka, żeby dowiedzieć się jakie są źródła naszej współczesnej popkultury, jak zmieniały się konstrukcje opowieści na przestrzeni dziejów - to jest ciekawe, a momentami wręcz szokujące. Wiele z tych tekstów już kojarzyłam, ale część mnie zaskoczyła.
I polecam audiobook w wykonaniu Krystyny Czubówny - magia!
I polecam audiobook w wykonaniu Krystyny Czubówny - magia!
December 3, 2022
Now we all know of Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rumplestiltskin. But what version? Philip Pullman revisits the original Grimm Fairy Tales in a wonderfully weird collection, full of dark and unexpected twists.
I loved the juxtaposition of cute fairy tale and twisted turns. Reading a compilation of short stories is not something I do often, but I really enjoyed the quick change to a new little story.
Whether a cautionary tale urging children to stay on the path or a spooky read of beloved classics we're all familiar with in some way, I really enjoyed this.
I loved the juxtaposition of cute fairy tale and twisted turns. Reading a compilation of short stories is not something I do often, but I really enjoyed the quick change to a new little story.
Whether a cautionary tale urging children to stay on the path or a spooky read of beloved classics we're all familiar with in some way, I really enjoyed this.
April 1, 2023
DNF. Lovely book but a bit disappointed that it is just traditional tales and I'm not sure I have the interest to re-read tales that I've read many times before. I thought there'd be a twist, or a different look at them. To be fair, it doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is. Nice little notes at the end of each, which are interesting, but I'd rather have the beautiful Perrault illustrated one.
April 21, 2018
La verdad me decepcionó un poco este libro. Esperaba encontrarme con una serie de cuentos clásicos llenos de sátiras y comentarios mordaces, pero simplemente es una recopilación de los clásicos Cuentos de los Hermanos Grimm sin nada más que una que otra adición al final y comentarios no tan interesantes por parte de Pullman.
May 7, 2017
Philip Pullman translates, enhances, explains, compares and improves some of the collected folk stories of the brothers Grimm. These are dark and dare I say, grim tales and had me thoroughly enthralled. Here's hoping he does a second collection.
April 21, 2020
I didn't realise how depressing fairy tales were, maybe listening to them with a different view or during lockdown made me realise how much a woman's beauty is required for her to have a happy life in them. And a man had to be good, brave and strong to also be happy.
October 14, 2023
What an excellent rewording of Grimm's Fairy Tales, including many I haven't read in years. Also interesting how used to the Disney version of some of the stories we have become, such as Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty). I loved it and know I will reread many times more, as well as the originals.
May 10, 2021
Loved the way he simplified each story and then made notes and comments at the end of each one.
June 5, 2021
Well restated.
October 13, 2021
Love Pullman but this one wasn't for me. Endured and enjoyed many of the tales but had been hoping for either his 'twist' on the tales of more stringent etymology regarding their production
September 23, 2024
I have really enjoyed reading the 50 short stories over the month as we get into spooky season 🍂🎃
February 6, 2025
Very enjoyable of traditionally gory and death ridden fairytales.
February 4, 2026
A very nice revival of our old tales, a proof that their magic is still working for anyone who wish to feel it
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews